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Dean's Desk (June 2017)

July 14, 2017

By Theodore Szeto, Ph.D.

It’s summer! Around CLAS, there is a welcome change of pace in the summertime. It's a chance to re-balance areas and priorities that might have been skewed due to a crazy school year. Some faculty get to catch up on writing and research projects. Many are traveling to represent APU academics in conferences around the world. Some staff are reorganizing labs and moving offices. Those teaching and taking our summer courses are adjusting to a shorter, but more intense, schedule. Segerstrom is abuzz with undergrads doing significant research in science. CLAS students are participating in Action Teams across five continents. I also hope that, in the midst of all this, many are able to squeeze in some much-needed down time and family time.

Please take a few moments to read this issue of CLAS Connect. This month features Douglass Kinnes, Tom Allbaugh, and Donovan Young, each of whom emphasized the value of a balanced, well-lived life during their interviews. Kinnes, an alumnus and software engineer at Boeing, points out the importance of a healthy work-life balance. Dr. Allbaugh, associate professor of English, urges you to balance learning with social and emotional empathy. And Young, a current sociology student, stresses the importance of helping others. These three are all excellent examples of the incredible Difference Makers in our college.

I invite you to check in, update us, and tell us what you are up to this summer. How are you maintaining balance? How are you being a Difference Maker?

Best Wishes,

Tedd Szeto, Ph.D.Associate Dean, College of Liberal Arts and SciencesAssociate Professor of MathematicsAzusa Pacific University